Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tackling environmental issues in industrial ceramic sintering of sewage sludge: odors and gas emissions

  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The inertization of sewage sludge in ceramic matrices to be used in structural or red ceramic material for buildings has proved to be a good case of reuse of waste material. However, its practical application has not yet been fully implemented in real-case scenarios, and environmental concern seems to be the main hurdle to overcome for its definitive massive approval by the building industry. In this contribution, air emissions related to the sintering of ceramic bricks made of mixtures of clay with some percentage of sewage sludge have been analyzed (in terms of gases, suspended particles and odors). Tests conducted during this work have shown higher VOC emissions in samples with some percentage of sludge in their composition (still under the regulated emission limit values), and some of them (mercaptans) are associated with odor nuisances. Besides, limit emissions values were exceeded by three inorganic pollutants (suspended particles, NOx and HCl). Measurements in an industrial scenario test showed a high variability in air pollution emissions, suggesting the need of in situ testing for definitive implementation. With the experience collected in this and several previous works in the area of emissions related to the production of added sewage sludge ceramic, some guidelines and recommendations are given to minimize the environmental impact of ceramic production plants implementing this particular waste revalorization process. Guidelines cover different aspects: workplace implementation of gas cleaning equipment; geographical context and local wind pattern analysis; monitoring of emission and immission levels; and information policy through social control participation procedures for reporting of nuisance episodes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • 3M (2015). 3 M Respirator Selection Guide. URL: https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/639110O/3m-respirator-selection-guide.pdf (Accessed 2 February 2017).

  • ACGIH (2014). Threshold limit values and biological exposure indices. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. ACGIH Signature Publications.

  • Batterman, S. (2004). Small-scale incinerators for health-care waste. WHO. URL: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/68775/1/a85187.pdf (Accessed 8 May 2015).

  • Chen, H. J., Yang, M. D., Tang, C. W., & Wang, S. Y. (2012). Producing synthetic lightweight aggregates from reservoir sediments. Construction and Building Materials, 28(1), 387–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cusidó, J. A., Cremades, L. V., & González, M. (2003). Gaseous emissions from ceramic manufactured with urban sewage sludges during firing processes. Waste Management, 23, 273–280.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cusidó, J. A., & Soriano, C. (2011). Valorization of pellets from municipal WWTP sludge in lightweight clay ceramics. Waste Management, 31, 1372–1380.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Devant, M. (2003). Resultats de la prova industrial Ecobrick i les possibles millores industrials (Results of the industrial test Ecobrick and possible industrial improvements). Technical report for CEASA, Barcelona [in Catalan].

  • Devant, M., Cusidó, J. A., & Soriano, C. (2011). Custom formulation of red ceramics with clay, sewage sludge and forest waste. Applied Clay Science, 54, 669–675.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DOGC (Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya). (1994). Decree 323/1994 regulating the installations of waste incineration and their air emission limits. Department of Environment (Catalonian Government). Oficial Bulletin of the Generalitat de Catalunya, 1986, 8200–8205. [in Catalan].

    Google Scholar 

  • EN-12457-1 (2002). Characterization of waste. Leaching: Compliance test for leaching of granular waste materials and sludges. UE. Publication date 15.10.2002.

  • EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). (1990). RCRA orientation manual. Washington D.C.: Office of Solid Waste, Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)(1994).New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CRF 60, Washington D.C.

  • Fytili, D., & Zabaniotou, A. (2008). Utilization of sewage sludge in EU application of old and new methods—A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energ. Reviews, 12, 116–140.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gallego, E., Soriano, C., Roca, F. X., & Guardino, X. (2008). Identification of the origin of odour episodes through social participation, chemical control and numerical modelling. Atmospheric Environment, 42(35), 8150–8160.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gèric, M., Gajski, G., Orescanin, V., Kollar, R., & Garaj-Vrhovac, V. (2012). Chemical and toxicological characteristics of the bricks produced from clay/sewage sludge mixture. Journal of Environmental Science and Health A, 47, 1521–1527.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han, K. C., & Sculli, D. (1991). Cost of disposal of sewage sludge. Engineering Costs and Production Economics, 21, 133–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley, P.J. (2005). The air pollution model (TAPM) Version 3. Part1, “Technical description”, CSIRO Atmospheric Research, Tehnical Paper No.71, Australia.

  • Jordan, M. M., Almendro-Candel, M. B., Romero, M., & Rincon, J. M. (2005). Application of sewage sludges in the manufacturing of ceramic tile bodies. Applied Clay Science, 30, 219–224.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liew, A. G., Idris, A., Samad, A. A., Wong, C. H. K., Jaafar, M. S., & Baki, A. M. (2004). Reusability of sewage sludge in clay bricks. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 6, 41–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, D.-F., & Weng, C.-H. (2001). Use of sewage sludge ash as a brick material. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 127, 922–927.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-García, C., Cotes Palomino, M. T., Iglesias-Godino, F. J., & Corpas-Iglesias, F. A. (2014). Porosity of expanded clay manufactured with addition of sludge from the brewing industry. International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering, 5(4), 341–347.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Niessen, W. R. (2002). Combustion and incineration processes, applications in environmental engineering (3rd ed.). New York: Marcel Dekker Inc.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, D. R. (1994). Toxic air pollution handbook (1st ed.). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichel, A., Wilts, H., Von Gries, N. (2014). Municipal solid waste management capacities in Europe. ETC/SCP Working Paper No. 8/2014. URL: http://scp.eionet.europa.eu/publications/ wp2014_8/wp/wp2014_8 (Accessed 8 May 2015).

  • SCRAM (Support Center for Regulatory Atmospheric Modeling) (2015). Preferred/recomended models. U.S. EPA. URL:http://www.epa.gov/ttn/scram/dispersion_prefrec.htm (Accessed 8 May 2015).

  • Stockie, J. M. (2011). The mathematics of atmospheric dispersion modeling. SIAM Review, 53, 349–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szoke, A. M., & Muntean, M. (2009). Sludge recycling in ceramic matrix. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal (EEMJ), 8, 907–909.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tirey, D. A., Striebich, R. C., Dellinger, B., & Bostian, H. E. (1991). Comparison of organic emissions from laboratory and full-scale thermal degradation of sewage sludge. Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials, 8, 201–218.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • UNE 67-026-94 (1994). Bricks and ceramic blocks made of clay. Determination of compressive strength [in Spanish].

  • United Nations (2015). Kyoto Protocol. URL: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php (Accessed 13 May 2015).

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work stems from the experience gained by the authors in the development of the project BRE2.CT94.1575 that was financed by the European Commission (BRITE-Euram; CRAFT Programme).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Projects, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal, 647, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    L. V. Cremades

  2. Centre Internacional de Mètodes Numèrics en Enginyeria (CIMNE), C/Gran Capità, s/n, Campus Nord UPC, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    C. Soriano

  3. Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Pere Serra, 1-15, 08193, Barcelona, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain

    J. A. Cusidó

Authors
  1. L. V. Cremades
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. Soriano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. A. Cusidó
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. V. Cremades.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cremades, L.V., Soriano, C. & Cusidó, J.A. Tackling environmental issues in industrial ceramic sintering of sewage sludge: odors and gas emissions. Environ Dev Sustain 20, 1651–1663 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-017-9958-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-017-9958-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation